Aligners vs Braces

Clear Aligners vs Traditional Braces

Clear aligners are a modern-day alternative with several benefits compared to traditional braces, especially for adults. Clear aligners are helpful for people who wish to obtain straight teeth while still feeling comfortable and confident in social situations. Here are the comparison of clear aligners vs traditional braces & top reasons why adults in our practice prefer clear aligners over traditional braces.

When I started my career in the field of dentistry, I knew smile was and has always been an intrigued part of an individual’s personality. But over the years in this field opened my mind towards people’s perception for aesthetics, seldom I knew how people are judged over it and how a few feel intimidated to laugh out loud in a gathering cause of their crooked teeth. Thus as an orthodontist giving an individual a perfect smile with good aesthetics is my job, but to choose the mode is entirely our patients choice. Patients in our dental practice find they have a decision to make whether they wish to go in for the treatment and when they are decisive to undergo orthodontic treatment—it is their choice between clear aligners and traditional braces. Many patients are unaware that there is an alternative to conventional braces.

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Traditional braces vs. clear aligners

Here are a few reasons why ODS clear aligners are modern day choice

1. Visibility

Traditional braces are available either in metal or ceramic (tooth coloured) material. However, they are still visible to the human eye from a certain distance. Aligners give that added advantage of invisible appearance.

Many of us wish to get the corrections done, but due to peer pressure (adolescents) and social/workplace (adults), we tend to avoid opting for orthodontic treatment. It is when aligners come in as an appreciable solution to all the problems. The material used is transparent and snuggly fits, thus giving an invisible appearance.

2. Removable

It is absolutely unfair to refrain on the choice of food, as the most common advise post braces given are “no sticky, chewy or hard diet, i.e., For braces to work, one must give up some of their favourite food options. You should avoid solid food like raw carrots, nuts, popcorn, pretzels etc. these can damage the braces wire. (I love caramel and popcorn, so I can understand the dejection it brings when one is refrained from what they enjoy.)

However, unlike braces aligners give an individual the liberty to remove the appliance, and enjoy every delicacy as they please.

Not only do clear aligners make cleaning easy, but they offer patients the freedom to eat, it permits them to enjoy all the delicacies and brush their teeth usually. Earlier patient had to keep a check on the food intake as what may cause traditional brackets to come loose and require additional orthodontic visits.

3. Health benefits

One of the major issues often experienced with traditional braces is proper care of teeth, because patients either had poor oral health since the beginning only and fail to adjustments to their oral hygiene routines while wearing braces, or they fall into poor oral hygiene habits once their brackets are placed. When it comes to aligners, personal maintenance is made easy, especially when it comes to flossing. Aligners made flossing easy as compared to the braces where the thread can entangle into the brackets, removal is difficult and may lead to breakage as well.

Oftentimes, patients will develop white spots on the front of their teeth during orthodontic treatment. These deposits are visible when the braces are removed and require the patient to undergo either cosmetic work done or live with white spots on their teeth.

Poor hygiene habits may result in swollen gums which further deteriorate with braces as it gets challenging to keep plaque off braces and wires completely. Gingivitis develops and if left untreated can lead to more dental and gums issues.

4. Speech/Ulcers

It is custom prepared for each individual over their scan/impressions, which is why it snuggly fits, no two patients can have the same set. Often in the initial phase of bracket treatment ulceration is a significant issue causing pain and discomfort. The wires and brackets protrude causing ulceration. Braces may cause speech defects. Braces may cause the development of temporary lisp. This is especially true if the dentist installs any accessory in conjunction with braces.

Moreover, Aligners are nor bulky neither do they protrude causing any irritation to the cheeks or lips.

5. Time is money

We live in a word where every second count, spending hours every month in a dental clinic is a tedious exercise. Aligners reduce the on chair time as well as the number of visits to the dental clinic. Thus giving the patient more leisure time for themselves.

Clear aligners were initially used only to unravel mild crowding or mild space closure only, but now they’re used for even the most advanced orthodontic cases such as extraction, distalization, etc.

Clear aligners are playing a compelling role in boosting the self – confidence along with improving the oral health of the patient.